The EU's Privacy and Communications Directive comes into force today, but it is clear that most of Europe is lagging behind its requirements. It mandates that Internet users be offered to give their consent before cookies storing information on their usage are saved and then later retrievable by websites.
In the UK, the government has said it needs more time to find the best solution, favoring light-touch regulation.
"We recognise that some website users have real concerns around online privacy but also recognise that cookies play a key role in the smooth running of the Internet," said communications minister Ed Vaizey. "But it will take some time for workable technical solutions to be developed, evaluated and rolled out so we have decided that a phased in approach is right."
The UK government has already formed a working group with browser developers to see if a browser-based solution can be found. Internet Explorer 9 and Firefox already offer settings to protect users from services with college and harvest data, and Google is building "Do Not Track" features into Chrome.
A browser-based solution to comply with the directive could stop websites from having a "free for all" in terms of coming up with their own solutions. While some privacy advocates believe that users should be alerted by a website every time it tries to use a cookie, there are worries that this could lead to excessive pop-up alerts, confusing users and dampening their web experience.
Written by: James Delahunty @ 26 May 2011 17:08
